


The Madness of King Loki

by Arcadias_Fire



Series: Of Kings and Consorts [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, BAMF Loki (Marvel), Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Loki (Marvel), Drama, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Infinity Gems, Lady Loki, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel)-centric, M/M, Magic, Mind Control, Multiverse, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Revenge, Time Travel, Unreliable Narrator, Warning: Loki (Marvel), off screen major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-16 16:05:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15440688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcadias_Fire/pseuds/Arcadias_Fire
Summary: The Other knew that Loki would be coming for him. To take from him what had been taken from Loki. Their deaths would be slow. Exquisitely so. He would make the Other watch as he pulled the World Walker apart, helpless as Loki destroyed what was most precious to him. Flay the Walker alive as he begged for release. The Other would plead and cry for Loki’s mercy.But he had none.What little mercy the god had possessed had been murdered by the Other’s hand, and he would pay. They would both pay dearly.***King Loki has ruled Midgard for half a century, but when his beloved consort is killed by an assassin from another universe, the heartbroken god needs more power than a magicless, heroless Earth can provide to gain revenge against the killer.Loki needs the Infinity Stones.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Atmospheric and dark AF, not an awful lot like most of my stuff, but this story ripped its self out of me. Writing dark!Loki was very fun, which I think might make me a bad person. Oh well. 
> 
> I wrote this in three days (not including editing), mostly while listening to the “Only Lovers Left Alive” soundtrack, which I highly recommend listening to while reading the story.
> 
> Edit: 5/6/2019  
> Just for the record, I wrote this waaaaay before _Endgame_ came out.

 

Loki sat and stared into the fire as he had done so many times before. Only this time, instead of a small cheerful hearthfire or a bonfire out-of-doors, it was the remains of his palace.  _ Their _ palace. The stones of its foundations and floors, already black, were now cracked and charred. The library, so adored by them both, was no more than a handful of broken chimney-stones and pools of melted glass. The fire had started there and almost nothing was left. Only his memories and pain. 

 

Tears fell into the fire, their liquid consumed with barely a hiss, gone before they reached the wood below the flames. As though the universe laughed at him. Poor lost prince, poor little king. You thought you could have happiness? Never never never. Your blood is cursed. King-slayer, father-murderer. How dare you try and have something of your own? 

 

How dare you love. 

 

How dare you cry. 

 

Everything had been perfect. He and his consort ruled their realm with a firm - but just - hand. The mortals had no idea what was best for them, and had to be told. They were made to be ruled, Loki had always known that. So rule he did. It was a miracle that he had found love among them, the puny creatures. A mortal with the heart of a king, as well as the visage of one. And oh that face, it was like a dream. 

 

So he had taken the human and elevated him. Gifted him with powers from the Tesseract. Made the mortal into the god he appeared to be. To stand by Loki's side, his consort, his lover, his confidant, his foil. Loki had given him everything, and in return was adored, worshiped, supported, and beloved. 

 

They had controlled Midgard for decades. All bowed to their rule. Many saw Loki's decision to take a human consort as a political move, or some kind of clemency towards the people. But no. It was purely for himself. He had no worries for continuing his line, not with thousands of years of his natural life span left. He had all of this world's beauty available to be his concubines. 

 

No, there had been no need to have another king at his side. He did it only for love. 

 

And that love had been taken from him. 

 

If only the Other had never come. The title, once reserved for the Titan's henchman, now fell on the Jotun bastard who stepped out of a mirror and into their lives. The World Walker had come, surprising, fresh, and beautiful; a new toy for them to play with. But with him came the Other. The Other who had slain his love. Taken his happiness. 

 

He would do the same. It would just take time. 

 

He would kill them both. 

 

Loki had tried to track them, trace their presences, but the Tesseract failed him. He would need more power. More tools at his disposal. The Space Stone was powerful, but limited. It had been sufficient to rule this sad little lonely Midgard. Very like the Earth from his own universe, but this realm had no heroes, no magicians, no Asgard to stand over it, no seidr beyond that which lay in all worlds. Their bullets simply bounced off of him when he arrived. It had been an easy realm to rule, but had no resources beyond what Loki had brought with him so long ago.

 

He had used the Tesseract, tried to find another universe nearby, one where that choice hadn't been made. Where the World Walker had never come. Loki had looked down on it at, had seen his consort. He knew that he wasn't  _ his _ love, but another so like him it hardly mattered. 

 

But it did matter. He wasn't the same. 

 

It was hopeless. All that was left to him was vengeance.

 

He needed more power. The power to find his enemies and crush them. The power to avenge himself and his love against the assassin who had had killed his consort with a single, unthinking blow. Fatal, even for a god. A dagger through the spine, into the brain. It was doubtful that even  _ he _ would have been able to survive such a wound. His lover’s body was mortal enough that he had died in an instant. Loki had seen the Other’s face, a split second of horror as he realized what he had done, who he had killed. 

 

Regret. 

 

But it wasn’t enough. 

 

The Other knew that Loki would be coming for him. To take from him what had been taken from Loki. Their deaths would be slow. Exquisitely so. He would make the Other watch as he pulled the World Walker apart, helpless as Loki destroyed what was most precious to him. Flay the Walker alive as he begged for release. The Other would plead and cry for Loki’s mercy. 

 

But he had none. 

 

What little mercy the god had possessed had been murdered by the Other’s hand, and he would pay. They would both pay dearly. 

 

But first, he needed to find his way to them. Gather power to himself. He knew where that power could be found. He even knew how to get it. 

 

Loki would have to go home. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Time was a strange thing when one travelled between universes. Time and space were twins, as one moved, the other did as well. It was difficult to do so, but time could be manipulated with space, if one was powerful enough. And he was. Loki had spent the last half century mastering the Tesseract. The cube bowed to his will even as it sang in his mind. So it was easy to go back just a little further. Just a few years back before he left. He wanted to be certain that the Mind Stone had made its way to Midgard, even though it meant he might have to deal with the Avengers. He feared Thanos far more than Thor’s ridiculous mortal compatriots. The Titan would kill Loki on sight - or shortly thereafter - but the Avengers had the folly of mercy on their side.

 

So he timed his return carefully. He was a god with nothing to live for but revenge and had near infinite patience. He tweaked the universes, lined them up with absolute precision. Loki would arrive back on Midgard directly after he and Thor had returned to Asgard, after his failed Invasion of New York. A small window of opportunity when he knew where the Mind Stone was and how to get it. He could find the Time Stone easily enough. He knew when the Reality Stone would be accessible from Midgard. Then with Time, Space, Mind, and Reality in his grasp, he could acquire the other two Stones and proceed onward to his vengeance.

 

o0o

 

Loki’s arrival on Midgard was quiet this time. He had been a sneak and a spy well before he’d ever been a general or a king, and it took little effort to draw on those skills once again. His armor was black now. Black without a hint of gold or green. No helmet, no cloak. There was no color left in him now, no joy, only darkness. He mourned his fallen king and all shall know his pain.

 

The resonance between the Stones whispered in the background of his consciousness, and Loki followed it to where the Mind Stone lay, safe and concealed inside the scepter. Had Thanos realized what he had given Loki, all those decades ago? The god thought not, but how the Titan could have _not_ realized the power that lay within the scepter was anyone’s guess. Loki thought it unlikely that the Titan would willing let an Infinity Stone out of his grasp, no matter how useful it was to his short term plans. It would be unthinkable for Thanos to allow anyone but himself to hold two Stones at the same time, and yet that’s what the Titan had done. Loki had bourn two Stones for a short time; the only being in history to do so. Space and Mind had been his, and Loki had let them go, all in a mad grab for the power Thanos had promised him.

 

So foolish.

 

He wouldn’t make that mistake a second time.

 

SHIELD was pitiful, just as he remembered it from so long ago. Loki would rather not spend the extra time dealing with being captured this time, so he hid his form, wrapped the light around his body like a cloak, invisible, a skill so old he’d learned it as a child. They never knew he was there. The guard was lamentable for such a powerful artifact. It was as though SHIELD _wanted_ the scepter to be stolen.

 

Oh wait, they did.

 

The serpents in at SHIELD’s breast still hid themselves in the shadows, and Loki would well take advantage of their folly.

 

The scepter fell into his hands like an old friend, a past lover just waiting for his embrace again. It sang the sweet, seductive song of absolute control. Loki seized the Tesseract, and warped away, leaving the mortals none the wiser.

 

With this single act, Loki had altered the fate of this universe, and that was satisfying. There would be no Vision, no Ultron. No Scarlet Witch, no Quicksilver. One less person who had to watch their brother die. That was just a bonus. He did have a soft spot for unusually close siblings.

 

With the Mind Stone back in his hands, Loki’s efficacy was magnified exponentially. There’s no need for persuasion, no need for seduction, for silver-tongued flattery; nor the wasted effort to gain loyalty or fear. All he need do is touch the heart of whomever he wishes and they will be his.

 

Oh how he loved this feeling. This is strength; this is power.

 

But he mustn’t get ahead of himself. The Avengers and SHIELD knew what the scepter did, what its effect looked like, so Loki must be cautious. Perhaps it might be worthwhile to break the Stone from its shell? But it was so useful as a weapon. No need to decide now. If nothing else, he needed soldiers for his army.

 

And he must find the Time Stone. Its signature was muddled by powerful magics, not in New York as he’d thought, but elsewhere. Perhaps Strange did not yet hold the Eye? The mortal had been barely relevant to Loki’s life - a cog in the wheel of fate, little more - and the timeline was unclear. But if Strange hadn’t yet taken on his sorcerous mantel? The Ancient One must still hold the Time Stone in her hands. He must be cautious then. Time and Space didn’t mix well. Those twins loved one another too much. Loki had learned that the hard way. Not that he regretted a single moment spent because of that long ago accident, but he had no wish to recreate it now.

 

There was no point.

 

o0o

 

Loki sought the Ancient One out. Tracked her to a place of power, an age-old place where the worlds grew thin. She was beautiful and austere, just as she had been portrayed.

 

“What do you want, Loki Liesmith, Odinson, Silver-Tongued king?” Her saffron robes billowed around her in the wind.

 

Loki gazed upon her and saw her truths. “You know what I want, Ancient One, druidess and sorcerer. Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answer?”

 

“I cannot give you the Eye of Agamotto, no matter how much you desire it. I am sworn to protect it with my life.” She held her hands loosely at her sides, ready to fight, if need be. The golden silk looked wrong to him. It should be white.

 

“Life? Is that what you call your existence?” Loki scoffed. “You have been dead for thousands of years, Ancient One. You have been sustained by the powers of death and time longer than I have lived. I have seen your truths, your paths. You and I are only steps from being united and bound, priestess. You would be better served to give me the Eye now.”

 

Loki saw her eyes go wide. As the bearer of the Eye, the Sorcerer Supreme could see into all realities, if they so choose. And the reality of which Loki spoke was not so far; one or two steps away, though the divide was so very far back in time. An ancient Celtic wise woman, a druid priestess powerful and wise, taking the sacred cup. The Ancient One had embraced the path of magic, sorcery, mastery of reality itself. This other version of herself had chosen different way; she had embraced the path of blood.

 

And he had stood with her. A few steps farther for Loki, but not many. Closer in soul than time. Blood-drinker himself, his only magics those of time, death, and music.

 

Her serenity was the same, wisdom bought by centuries, by the pain and the suffering of others. For the greater good, she told herself. She would harm none with the blood that was taken, but it was a lie. Just as the Ancient One lied to herself, so did Eve. There was no life without death. No joy without pain. No happiness without suffering. No light without darkness. Life required death, and only the weak denied it.

 

She was light, he was darkness, much as they were now. In that alternate reality, they were together; so in love that it hurt Loki’s heart to look upon them. To watch them now would be too painful to even bear.

 

In this universe, they were enemies.

 

“Has the Tesseract shown you these things, Liesmith?”

 

“What do you think, priestess?” Loki held out a single, empty hand towards her. “Shall we dance for old time’s sake?”

 

The Ancient One stood her ground. “You are not Adam.”

 

“Nor are you Eve, but neither of us is far removed from those immortal lovers. Come, priestess, can we not come to an agreement?”

 

She shook her head. “You are lying to yourself, Liesmith. Your path will not lead you to requital, only sorrow. By seeking to redress your loss, you unbalance the whole of creation. You cannot bring back your king. Not with the Eye, nor with the all the Stones. All you can do is bring misery to others.”

 

Loki snarled and green fire erupted at his feet. “Then all shall feel my anguish, fear my wrath, and suffer for my sorrow.”

 

Discs of flaming runes appeared around the Ancient One’s hands. “You don’t need to do this. There are other ways you can go.”

 

“I have only one path now.”

 

Loki knew the Ancient One expected him to attack. And he might have done, fifty years ago. Let his rage control him, his outrage at a lesser being challenging his might. But he had learned. Instead, he reached for the Tesseract, not to flee, but to make solid the walls of the universe. The sorcerers of the Ancient One’s order were masters of dimension and space, though they held Time at their heart. She could warp reality to her will, go anywhere in the realm.

 

But not anymore.

 

He bound the walls of reality in azure chains. The Ancient One was trapped and neutered. It was a risk, since she might draw on the Eye sooner, but worth it to keep the fight on his ground. So when she sought to bring them into the Mirror Dimension, it failed.

 

Loki smiled.

 

“I have twice fought your successor, priestess. I have learned how to battle a sorcerer. I am the master of Space; you have no hope of defeating me.” He took a step forward and was gratified to see her lean away. “Give me the Eye. You know that it's better off in my hands.”

 

“It doesn't end this way, Liesmith.”

 

“All of reality will bend to my will. Fate is mine to command, not yours.” Loki clicked his fingers and a ring of green flame surrounded her feet. “Give me the Eye or you shall die here and now, not in a human hospital in New York. You will never see your successor’s face, never be able to guide his steps.”

 

The Ancient One's eyes went wide. “How do you know these things?”

 

“I'm from the future, foolish priestess. How do you think I know?”

 

“No, that isn't it. Strange told you nothing of my death. You watched it happen. How?”

 

Loki laughed, mad and bitter. “Spoilers.” And he struck. A blade of green fire left his hand, hurtling towards the Ancient One's face. _Always aim for the head._ She ducked and sprang over the ring of fire at her feet in a perfect somersault. She had the grace of centuries of practice, but not the speed of the blood-drinker. She would have been better served by taking that path. Loki had his own grace earned from the centuries, but he was a god, so far superior to this tiny creature, no matter how ancient she may be. He evaded the spell she threw with a fan of magic. Dodged the strikes she aimed at him, he skipped away, laughing.

 

“I told you we should dance, priestess.”

 

She did not reply.

 

They came together, blades of green fire striking discs of flame colored runes. Flashes of magic, blindingly bright in the twilight. She was more adept than Strange had been, but Loki was far more skilled than he had been when he’d fought the other sorcerer so long ago. They struck at one another, occasionally slicing flesh with wounds that smoked and bled. The Ancient One sought to distract him, but his focus was perfect. He trapped one of her arms with a chain of seidr, wrapping it around her torso, and Loki knew he’d won. The other arm soon followed and she was at his feet, bound and helpless.

 

Loki’s eyes glittered in the darkness. “What have you to say for yourself now?”

 

She glared up at him, dark eyes defiant. “This shall not end well for you, Liesmith. You’ve abandoned your path and will distort all of creation in your madness.”

 

The god’s smile grew. “That is my hope, my only wish. That reality shall change because of my will. I shall slay those who harmed me, even if I must destroy a universe to do it.” He reached down and took the bronze cage from about her neck, and draped the chain about his own. “I’m already halfway there.”

 

“You don’t have to do this.”

 

Loki manifested the scepter in his hands, and for the first time he saw fear in her eyes. “Don’t I?”

 

“Don’t do this.”

 

“Say please.”

 

“Please, don’t do this.”

 

Loki laughed. “No.”

 

And he lay the tip of the blade over her heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tried to make this as clear as possible, but if you're still confused by the whole “Adam and Eve” business in this chapter, you've probably never seen the best vampire movie of all time, _Only Lovers Left Alive_ , which stars Tilda Swinton (the Ancient One/Eve) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki/Adam). Big giant multiverses connected by actors are kind of my jam. When I was working on this chapter, I realized that the Ancient One and Eve had really similar backstories (based on the deleted scenes from OLLA), so this was too good not to do.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Loki lay back, a smile living on his face for the first time since his consort’s death. Things were going well for once. Space, Mind, and Time were in his possession; he knew where the Reality Stone and the Power Stone were, he just had to retrieve them. The Soul Stone would prove more of a challenge. He suspected that the Titan’s daughters knew where it was, but his outside knowledge didn’t go so far as to confirm that, or tell him where the Stone was. But at least the Aether would be accessible as soon as the conversion came. The Dark Elves would never see it. They would never slay his mother. 

 

He debated allowing his idiot brother’s woman to retrieve the Aether, then killing her to take it, but that held too many risks. One, he knew that the Reality Stone would protect its bearer, even as it drained their life. Two, he’d rather not encounter Thor, if at all possible. Three, she would never have the chance to reject him years down the line if he killed her now. That had been a satisfying moment that he didn’t want his younger self to miss out on.

 

If he could take his erstwhile brother as a soldier, it would be all to the good, but Loki was uncertain of how the scepter would affect a true Asgardian. The thought of having Thor completely under his control was almost enough to make him change his mind. The Thunderer on his knees at Loki’s feet to do with as he pleased was an appealing image indeed, but it was too dangerous. No, Loki would have to retrieve the Aether himself, and forgo the possible pleasures of having his brother as a slave. 

 

But in the meantime, he could achieve something he’d failed at so long ago. 

 

Anthony Stark would be his. 

 

The foolish mortal - believing that he was no longer threatened - had by now removed the arc reactor from his chest; the only thing that had kept Loki from succeeding last time. He chuckled into the darkness around his bed. Oh yes, all that knowledge, all that power. The man’s wit would be gone, which was unfortunate - Loki recalled having enjoyed their banter - but so worth it. There had been a spark of promise in Stark’s gaze that called to him. Hopefully that spark would still be there once his eyes were glazed and blue. 

 

Loki didn’t know exactly where Stark was now. He’d changed things enough that what he knew about the Avengers may not be accurate anymore. But he should be able to find Stark easily enough; he was a public figure, so the limelight was always on him. But how to get at him without arousing suspicion? If he put the Iron Man suit on, Loki’s way would be blocked. 

 

A thought struck him, and Loki laughed. Oh yes, perfect. That spark would be Stark’s downfall. 

 

o0o

 

Tony didn’t allow himself too many nights out these days. He was trying to convince Pepper to come back; to get their on-again/off-again relationship back into the “on” position, but a man had needs, and his needs could be best met in a club. 

 

There were two women who’d been flirting with him all night from across the dance floor. They danced with each other, but their eyes went to him. One was so blonde her hair looked white, the other raven-haired with a killer smile. Both wore clothing the color of their hair, short dresses that left little to the imagination; both beautiful in their own way. Black and white, like chess pieces, perfectly mirroring one another as they danced. He’d seen that kind of dancing before. They hadn’t just met, these women were lovers and had been for a long time. 

 

Normally, Tony would have given it up as a bad job rather than to try and go after them, but their eyes trailed over him like velvet on his skin. And what red-blooded man would say no to  _ that? _ So when they approached him, one on each side, pressing long, lean, perfectly curved bodies against him, he let them. The brunette’s eyes were pale, and she smiled like a shark in red lipstick. The blonde looked blissed out, her blue eyes and unsteady smile slipping over him to her lover constantly. 

 

They were both taller than him, but that was okay, he liked tall women. When the raven-haired beauty kissed him, she tasted like mint. Her blood-red lips were heaven, and then her tongue slipped inside of his mouth and  _ oh god _ he’d never felt anything like it. Human tongues just didn’t  _ move _ like that. A tiny sliver of Tony’s brain warned she might be a meta, but the rest of him didn’t care, so long as she kept kissing him. Well, putting that mouth to good use elsewhere would be fine, but… 

 

“Do you have a place we can go?” the brunette asked. Her voice was low and sweet, with an incredibly sexy British accent. “Someplace more private?” 

 

“Yeah, sure. Of course.” 

 

She grinned and glanced at the other woman, who smiled back, still blissed out. Tony wondered how much Ecstasy the blonde had taken, but ultimately it didn’t matter. It would only make things better. 

 

He’d rented a room nearby, confident that someone would fall into his lap this evening. He lead them out into the night. The walk was’t far, but it took longer than it should. The two women traded off kissing him, kissing each other, pushing him against a wall so their hips could say “hi”. By the time they got to the hotel, Tony was about ready to rip everyone’s clothes off, and once they were in the room, he started with his own. The scars on his chest were pretty much healed now, but he still kept his undershirt on. It wasn’t that he was self-conscious, exactly, but years of the arc reactor made him a little paranoid about anyone seeing him like that. 

 

Still, when the brunette ran her hands over his chest, he didn’t stop her, and the smile she gave him made him glad that he hadn’t. She pushed him back onto the bed and the two women flanked him, kneeling on either side. The brunette smiled at the blonde and nodded, then the blonde leaned over and kissed him, hands busy elsewhere. 

 

Tony was wondering what the brunette was doing when something sharp struck him in the middle of his scar. His vision was covered in a blue haze - the color of the blonde’s eyes - and Tony was gone. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies, FrostIron fans.


	4. Chapter 4

 

There was a small temptation to use the Eye of Agamotto to skip forward, to get to the conversion faster, but Loki was having too much fun with his new toys. He let Stark go about his regular life - with breaks to serve at Loki’s pleasure - and the Ancient One had to make appearances at the various Sanctums to throw off suspicion, but they were his, and Loki loved it. 

 

It wasn’t enough, of course. The pleasures of power and the flesh could only go so far; his heart still ached. The memory of his beautiful king would never fade, could never be banished from his mind. They had been one, and nothing could replace that. Every time he met his own eyes in the mirror, it spurred him on. Only vengeance could possibly fill the void in his heart. 

 

He used the opportunity that waiting presented to learn the intricacies of the Time Stone. Its magic was a cousin to Loki's own, so it wasn’t difficult; the sorcerers of Midgard kept the Eye at their heart. Of course the Ancient One could teach him, if he needed any aid, though her faculties weren’t at their full potential. By the time the convergence was at hand, he’d mastered all three of the Stones in his possession. 

 

Loki spared a thought for the version of himself locked in a cell in Asgard’s dungeon right now. He considered rescuing that younger self, so he could have a different iteration by his side. But it would be painful, and perhaps young-Loki was safer where he was. Loki wasn’t certain how far the universe would bend. Were they different enough to co-exist without damaging the world around them? Yes, the younger version had never known the love and understanding that had changed Loki’s life, but they were still so similar, from the same universe, only different parts of the timeline. One or the other of them might simply cease to exist. 

 

It wasn’t worth it. 

 

It would have been logical to spend the time until the convergence in England, near the site where the Aether would be, so he could slip in at a moment’s notice. But their palace had been in London. They had ruled from that tiny island, native land to his lover and centuries of Empire. Loki couldn’t bear the thought of stepping on those shores before he had to. 

 

Eventually, he felt the realms slipping into place. He thought of Heimdal, looking out into the cosmos, searching for the signs of the convergence. Loki had evaded the watcher’s gaze for so long it was second nature. He knew Heimdal watched Jane - who was close by - which was a small risk, but a small one only. 

 

Loki went alone to the warehouse where the laws of reality were breaking down. It sang to him, like the Tesseract sang. The Aether called him,  _ come to me, godling, _ and so he did. Master of three Stones already, Loki was confident that the Reality Stone would give him no trouble, but his knowledge failed him and the gas seeped into his body and overcame his mind. 

 

o0o

 

“Why are you doing this?” The voice was achingly familiar, but subtly different than the echoes he heard in his head every day. “It won’t bring me back.” 

 

Loki wept silent tears. “I need to avenge you.” 

 

“You don’t. You know what will happen if you try. You’ll die too.” 

 

“My dearest one, how can you say that?” Loki reached out to the other man who he knew wasn’t there. “How can you deny recompense for your death? They need to pay.” 

 

“Darling, you would have done the same. You would have killed anyone whose hand was at my throat.” 

 

“That doesn’t make it right.” The tears came faster now. “That doesn’t make it better.” 

 

“No, but it’s the truth.” His consort reached out, placed an insubstantial hand on Loki’s neck in the Asgardian manner, and smiled his saddest smile. “This is a fool’s errand, Loki, you can’t succeed. You’ll never be able to control all the Stones.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because I’m already dead.” 

 

o0o

 

Loki woke with a start and sat up. He could feel the Aether flowing through his body and knew that his eyes were black as the Void. He could force it out, make the Aether into the Stone, but there was no point at the moment. He was stronger with it inside of him. The Reality Stone would protect him, and strong as he was, Loki was never averse to more power.

 

He wondered at the vision he’d seen of his consort. They’d never discussed how to retrieve the Soul Stone. Loki had assumed that the other man didn’t know - it had been a secret after all - but Loki might have been wrong. His consort was one of the few who  _ could _ have known the Stone’s whereabouts. 

 

Or perhaps death gave one a different perspective on reality, and he knew only now from his vantage of the grave. 

 

Or maybe the vision was just his subconscious trying to convince him to stop this quest; a futile gesture at best. 

 

Loki had seen all of the rest of the Stones and where they lay, but Soul had been a mystery that was never fulfilled, never completed, never released into the world. He wouldn’t allow it. At the time, that had seemed reasonable, but now he regretted the choice. 

 

Nothing to do but retrieve the Power Stone and seek out the Titan’s daughters again. At least with them, he knew where he stood. 

 

o0o

 

Loki had ordered Stark to build a ship - one that could be powered by the Tesseract - when he’d first taken the mortal as his own. It had been his second order to the billionaire. The engineer was a genius, no matter what his character flaws might be. The ship should be done by now, and they could leave Midgard to seek the other Stones. 

 

Loki suspected that he would be able to ally himself with Gamora and her friends, once he’d discerned their location. Knowhere would be the best place to find them, since he doubted that he’d be able to reach the Power Stone before that idiot Star-Lord retrieved it. Besides, he needed their assistance. 

 

He debated acquiring more soldiers before leaving Midgard, but the ship was small, and he could always find others. So they travelled. Loki thought on chaos that would erupt when Tony Stark was discovered missing and smiled. The sorcerers would founder without the Ancient One’s guidance, weakening Midgard’s magical defenses, but he needed her more. Needed them both. And after all, Loki had already made Midgard a better place. So many disasters had been averted by his actions; humanity should be laying at his feet in worship. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I did not pull the bullshit move of having the consort be an OMC.


	5. Chapter 5

 

Loki hated Knowhere, it was vile place. The mining colony was filthy and wretched. However, its denizens knew how to treat someone of importance. The crowds parted before Loki and his entourage, heads bowed, eyes averted. The Ancient One’s saffron silk - hood pulled down over her face - and Iron Man’s suit of crimson and gold contrasted sharply with Loki's black on black armor and solid midnight eyes. The Eye of Agamotto sat on his chest, the only color to his costume, and the scepter - now a staff in his hand - glowed blue in the dim light of this Norns-forsaken place. Loki knew that he was the single most powerful being in the cosmos right now, and everyone else realized it as well. 

 

There was shouting nearby, and smoke rising in the distance. Loki’s soul was drawn to the chaos like a moth to a flame. He recognized Ronan and Drax facing off in the streets. The so-called “Destroyer” was laughably outmatched. Loki watched as the Kree warlord knocked Drax across the square and he landed in a vat of chemical slime. A small smile played at Loki’s lips as the other soon-to-be Guardians of the Galaxy debated running or fighting. Gamora caught sight of him, and her eyes went wide as Loki stepped forward to face Ronan. 

 

The tall blue man spoke, his attention falling to Loki. “What do you want, Asgardian? I heard that you’d failed the Titan and were slated to die.” 

 

“Perhaps once, but no longer,” Loki replied. He slammed the butt of the staff on the ground and the light of the Stone flared. “You may join me, Ronan, or die.” 

 

The Kree laughed. “You must be jesting, Trickster. I have no need of your pitiful support.”

 

Loki smiled. “You misunderstand, I’m not offering to support you. I am merely stating fact. You will join me, or I shall kill you. That’s the end of it.”

 

Ronan laughed again, but uneasily. Perhaps he’d caught sight of Loki’s eyes, or object of power at his throat. Or maybe he’d finally recognized the aura of majesty that surrounded him. “Is that so?”

 

“It is. What say you, Accuser?” 

 

The Kree’s lip twisted in distaste. “I say that you will die for your insolence.” 

 

Loki grinned. “I was so hoping you’d say that. I never liked you. Fanatics should be cannon-fodder.” 

 

Ronan dodged the first blast from the staff, and the second, but the third caught him in the chest. The Kree flew backwards, impacted against a piece of mining equipment and slid to the ground. Loki strode forward; Iron Man and the Ancient One flanked him, but took no action themselves. The Kree struggled to his feet and snarled at Loki before rushing him. 

 

It was tempting to try and turn the Accuser, but Loki hadn’t been joking, he really didn’t care for fanatics, Ronan in particular. He spun the Aether out of himself and seized the Reality Stone in his hand. The charging Kree fell to pieces, each joint severed neatly in a smooth clean line. The black-clad blue head rolled to Loki’s feet, and Ronan’s wild blue eyes stared up at him. 

 

“What have you done?” the severed head asked. 

 

Loki laughed. “If you are too stupid to tell, I won’t be the one to inform you.” He pointed the blade of the staff at Ronan’s face and let off a blast at point blank range, annihilating the Kree’s head in puff of ozone. Loki pulled the Aether back into himself, and the Accuser’s body reformed, though of course without the head. 

 

Loki smoothed his hair back; it had been slightly mussed in the fight. 

 

Gamora approached him a moment later. 

 

“Loki, I heard you’d been captured.” 

 

“I was, but as you can see, I’m perfectly free now.” He smiled at her, bright and sharp, and the green-skinned assassin smiled in return. “I assume your hatred for your father continues unabated?” 

 

Gamora nodded and frowned. “He’s getting close.”

 

Loki laughed. “Oh no he isn’t, my dear. He’s not within lightyears of achieving his goals, he just doesn’t realize it yet.”   

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

The god shook his head. “No time for that now, I need your assistance.” 

 

She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. “Why should I trust you?”

 

“I will swear to you, by whatever oaths you hold sacred, that the Titan will never gather all of the Stones if you assist me, and I will help you kill him, if that’s your wish.”

 

The assassin’s eyes glittered. “What do you need?”

 

“Two things, one, the Orb, which I know you have in your possession. Two, you must tell me where the Soul Stone is.” 

 

Gamora’s eyes went wide. “You’re gathering the Stones for yourself.” 

 

Loki nodded. He trusted Gamora - as far as he trusted any free being in this universe - she was guileless creature, and her hatred for Thanos was only outstripped by her sister’s. Which reminded him…

 

“Nebula, you can come out now,” he called over his shoulder. 

 

A moment later, the cyborg woman walked out of Ronan’s ship. Gamora gasped, and Loki grinned. Nebula walked up to them and cocked her head to the side, solid black eyes taking in his form. “How did you know I was here?”

 

“Must you ask such questions?” Loki pulled the slender blue figure to him in a quick embrace, which she returned. “Now, I know you two want to kill one another at the moment, but please hear me out.” 

 

Nebula crossed her arms over her chest. “I heard ‘kill Thanos’, that’s all I needed.” 

 

Her sister nodded. “I’m in too.” 

 

Loki grinned. He’d always liked the sisters, they reminded him of himself and Thor. “Wonderful, now what about your companions?” Loki pointed his chin to the assembled “Guardians” behind Gamora. 

 

The green assassin looked over her shoulder. “We’ll have to tell them everything.” 

 

The god chuckled. “Everything might perhaps be a bit too much, but we shall tell them enough. You two are the most important ones, and I’ve missed you both terribly.” Loki wrapped his arms around the women’s shoulders and grinned as Star-Lord scowled at him from across the square. “Come, introduce me to your companions.” 

 

Drax and Star-Lord both glared daggers at Loki as the threesome approached. It was more difficult to read Rocket’s expression, but Loki thought it looked more appraising than anything else. Groot was inscrutable, but his people always were. 

 

Gamora smiled at them. “My friends, this is my sister Nebula and Prince Loki of Asgard. They’ll both be invaluable allies.” 

 

“What about those two?” Star-Lord pointed to the Ancient One and Iron Man, who’d followed Loki silently this whole time. 

 

“They’re my servants,” Loki replied. 

 

“I am Groot,” Groot asked. 

 

“Yes, they’re always that quiet.” This comment got Loki the double-take he’d expected from Rocket, and the god had to smother a laugh. “And yes, I speak Groot.” He’d only taken that useless course so as to not be outdone by his idiot brother, but it was actually turning out to be advantageous. No knowledge was wasted, it seemed. 

 

As it turned out, all that was needed to convince the others was money, which was easily obtained. A quick visit to the Collector - and what was left of his shop - found Loki with enough credits to pay the crew enough to keep them happy and in his service. The Collector was as easily manipulated as his obsequious brother; his passions acquisitive rather than carnal, thank the Norns. 

 

Well paid now, the Guardians were happy. Rocket, Star-Lord, and Drax - with Groot in tow - went off to drink some of their new found funds. Loki sat with Thanos’s daughters, and they planned. 

 

o0o

 

Loki rolled the metal sphere which held the Power Stone back and forth between his hands. Honestly, the Stones were just falling into his possession. It was hardly sporting - he knew what was to happen, after all - but the god couldn’t regret his actions. The Stones were better off in his hands than anyone else's, and his cause was true. 

 

The ships travelled to Vormir, where the Soul Stone lay. 

 

Loki had been right, Gamora had found the Soul Stone and had lied (poorly) to Thanos about it. He’d suspected as much at the time, but said nothing. He kept his mouth shut as much as possible during his time with the Titan. Befriending two of his children was as far as he’d been willing to go. He really did like the sisters. Gamora’s spirit reminded him of Thor, despite their differences, and Nebula was so much like his poor broken self that he couldn’t help but love and despise her in equal measures. 

 

Loki was nothing if not narcissistic, and he would be the first to admit it. 

 

“Do you know how to get the Soul Stone?” 

 

Gamora shook her head. “I've heard tales of a guardian, the Stonekeeper, but nothing more. Supposedly the Soul Stone is special.” 

 

Loki tapped a long finger against his lips. “A guardian. For how long, I wonder? Perhaps they can be bargained with.” 

 

“Once you have all the Stones, what will you do?” Nebula asked. 

 

Loki smiled. “I shall destroy your father, as I promised. Then I shall quit this universe.” 

 

“What? Where will you go?” 

 

He smiled at Gamora and saw her shiver. It wasn’t a nice smile. “I have debt owed to me which I must collect.” 

 

“Outside of the universe? How is that even possible?” 

 

“Ah, my sweet Nebula, your father’s vision is sadly clouded. His obsession with balance has blinded him to the fact that we don’t live in a finite universe, but an infinite multiverse.” Loki spread his hands and an illusion stretched between them. “We are here,” he pointed to a wafer thin strip of reality, “and there are other universes all around us.” His fingers touched on the other slender realms, each of them lighting up as he did so. “I have spent the last half century in one of these other universes.” 

 

The women looked at each other sharply, then back at him. “But, you were with us just a few years ago,” Gamora said. 

 

“From your perspective, yes. But from mine, it was over fifty.” 

 

Nebula leaned forward and looked at the illusion. “Why did you come back? For the Stones?” 

 

Loki nodded. “The realm I found myself in was primitive in comparison to ours. A world very much like the Earth your Star-Lord is from, but without power. Parallel in most ways, but without magic or advanced technology. No contact with other planets. A simpler place.” He took a deep breath. “My… my lover was murdered in front of me, and the assassin escaped into another universe. I was unable to follow, so I returned here, to gain the ability and strength to do so.” 

 

At Loki’s confession, Gamora’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide.  

 

Nebula frowned. “How were you able to return?” 

 

“I had the Tesseract with me. It allowed me entrance to the other universe in the first place.” Loki banished the illusion and pulled the cube from his pocket dimension. He held it up in front of his eyes. “We’re old friends now.” 

 

“So you’re going to collect all of the Stones so that you can… what? Bring your lover back?” Nebula gazed at the Tesseract, its azure light glittered in her solid black eyes. 

 

Loki shook his head. “I don’t believe such a thing is possible, not in any meaningful way. No, I only wish to avenge him. To gain recompense against the assassin. Justice, if such a thing is possible.” He vanished the Tesseract back into his pocket dimension with a twist of his wrist. “I’m sure you can agree that this is a more noble goal than the Titan’s.” 

 

The women exchanged a long look; they both knew him to be a skilled liar. He could see the debate in their eyes, to believe him or not. Of course, Loki had the advantage that his story was absolutely true, if somewhat incomplete. Loki could tell that Gamora wanted to accept his account. She had a heart, and his tale of lost love called to her. Nebula was a more logical creature, but she liked him, and would want to believe that any lover he took was worth avenging, for her own sake. They nodded to one another, and Loki suppressed a smile. 

 

“We’ll help you,” the green-skinned sister said.

 

“Of course we will, you’re going to kill Thanos,” the blue one added. 

 

Loki grinned. “It will be my pleasure.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know the fight scene between Ronan and the Guardians happened differently than that in the movie. The universe is a bit different because Loki was there and did things. Shhhh.


	6. Chapter 6

 

Vormir was a sad little world, barren and harsh. The ships landed on a rocky outcrop some small distance from a power signature unmistakably like the other Stones. Loki approached the stone steps alone; there was no living being in this universe he trusted to have with him on this last leg of his journey, not even his servants. The Ancient One, Iron Man and the Guardians remained with the ships. 

 

The stone stairs were ancient, worn down by the feet of supplicants over the millenia. A lone figure, robed and cowled stood at the top of the stair, looking down at him. 

 

“Liesmith, you have no hope here.” 

 

Loki looked up. The voice was somewhat familiar. “Your pardon if I don’t take your word for it.” 

 

He ascended the stairs and stood face to face with the Stonekeeper. “You do not have what is required.” The guardian took down his hood, revealing skeletal red face. 

 

Loki blinked. “Huh. I’d wondered what happened to you. This is… unexpected.” 

 

The Red Skull frowned at him. “You know me?”

 

“I know  _ of _ you, yes.” The god looked around the barren, hostile planet. “So this where the Tesseract sent you.” 

 

“Did she tell you that?” 

 

It took Loki a moment to realize that the German villain meant the Tesseract. “She didn’t need to.” He smiled. “So, Herr Schmidt, you’ve been here this whole time? How sad for you.” 

 

The Skull’s frown deepened. “Sadder for you, godling. As I said, you have no hope here.” 

 

“And why is that? I possess five of the Infinity Stones and the last lays beyond that arch. Why can I not simply reach out and take it?” 

 

“The Soul Stone carries a price that you cannot pay.”

 

“And what is that?”

 

“A soul for a Soul, Liesmith. You must offer the life of one you love.” 

 

Loki’s heart stopped. “No.” 

 

“Yes. That is the price.” 

 

Loki dropped to his knees. “No. No, I’ve come so far. How… how can this be?” 

 

“It is well that your lover is dead, Liesmith; you needn’t face that choice.” 

 

“No, no, no, no, no.” The god clutched as his hair. “It isn’t fair, how can this have happened?” 

 

“You cannot pay the price, you should go.” 

 

Loki shook his head. His consort’s words from the vision the Aether had given him came back:  _ This is a fool’s errand, Loki, you can’t succeed. You’ll never be able to control all the Stones. I’m already dead. _

 

“How did he  _ know?” _

 

“You already know the answer to that. He always knew.” 

 

The god looked up. Tears streamed down his cheeks. “It was never relevant. We never discussed it. Why would I care about what happened after my own death? Why would I care about how the Titan gained his power? It didn’t matter!” 

 

“You have used your knowledge and perspective to gain five of the Stones, but this last one was always doomed to be beyond your reach.” The Red Skull shook his head and leaned over Loki’s prostrate form. “Make sure the Titan never finds this place, Liesmith, he could succeed where you have failed. Now go.” 

 

Loki stumbled to his feet and walked back down the stairs. His head down, watching his feet as he placed one after the other. Slow progress until he reached the ships. 

 

“Well?” Gamora’s voice was so full of hope. 

 

“I failed.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“I’ve failed. I cannot take the Soul Stone.” 

 

He saw a quick exchange of looks between the sisters, but he didn’t bother trying to read it. 

 

“Why?” Nebula asked. 

  
“I’ve already paid the price it demands and I cannot pay it again.” Loki sat on a nearby rock and put his head in his hands. “The Soul Stone demands a soul in exchange and it must be one that the bearer loves.” Tears spattered the dusty ground. “My only love is dead. I cannot claim it.” 

 

“Then Thanos will never get it either,” Gamora replied, satisfaction clear in her voice. “At least we have that much.”

 

Even as Loki shook his head, Nebula replied. “No, sister, he does love. I know it seems like he’s incapable to you, but he does care about someone.” 

 

“What?”

 

“Nebula is right, the Stonekeeper said that the Titan could succeed where I failed.” 

 

“But… who?”

 

Loki looked up at the pair. “Isn’t it obvious?” 

 

“No.” 

 

Nebula shook her head. “It’s you.” 

 

Loki laughed a long bitter laugh and shot to his feet. “Of course it is, the favored child, so beloved by the powerful father.” He towered over the women. “I should kill you right now.” The scepter was back in his hand with barely a thought and he pointed it at the green assassin’s chest. 

 

They shrank back together, away from the green fire in his gaze and the threat of the Mind Stone. Nebula stepped in front of her sister, blocking Gamora’s body with her own. “Don’t.” Her black eyes were implacable. 

 

Gamora leaned over Nebula’s shoulder. “Loki, don’t do this. You don’t mean it. I know you’re disappointed, but this won’t solve anything.”

 

“If I kill you, the Titan will never hold the gauntlet. He will never be able to achieve his goals. Isn’t that worth a little sacrifice?” 

 

“No, it isn’t. Now get away from my sister.” 

 

“I could just kill you both.” 

 

“Nebula, step aside, let him do it.” 

 

The cyborg swiveled to face her sister. “What?” 

 

“Please, he’s right.” Gamora put her hands on Nebula’s shoulders. “He’s right. If I can save half the universe with my death, then I should die.” She pushed the blue skinned woman behind her and stood with her arms out by her sides, eyes closed. “Do it.” 

 

Loki stood silently for a long moment, his breath coming in harsh pants, scepter pointed at her chest.  _ Always aim for the head. _ He raised it by another foot, so the point was between her eyes. Watched as slow tears trickled down her cheeks. 

 

Lowered the scepter. Turned away. 

 

Loki’s rage drained away into the dirt. 

 

None of this would help. So what if Thanos took the Soul Stone? Gamora would still die, and what could the Titan do with one Stone? None of that would help him achieve his goals. Nothing would bring his consort back. Nothing could help him find and destroy the Other. 

  
  


He’d failed. 

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

Loki sat and stared into the fire. This fire, he’d built with his hands and a touch of seidr rather than a spark of his agony and rage, as the conflagration that destroyed their palace had been. Likely as not, he could have kindled another inferno just now - destroyed the whole miserable planet - but the fury had spilled out of him. His body sang with magic, but it was all for nothing. Nothing mattered anymore. 

 

He called the Ancient One to him with a thought, and she knelt by his side. With a click of his fingers, he released her mind. 

 

Her eyes, no longer azure and glazed, looked him over with something akin to sympathy in their corners. “So, you’ve finally realized the truth.” 

 

Loki nodded. “I’ve failed. I always fail. No matter what I do, I’m doomed to fail over and over again.” His voice took on a mocking, singsong quality. “Poor little runt, poor lost prince. Never good enough, no matter how hard I try. Never  _ worthy.”  _ The last word came out with a sneer. “I held happiness in my hands and I let it fall. I suppose I’ve been falling for a long time now.” 

 

The Ancient One settled herself down from her knees into a lotus position on the ground beside him. Loki flinched away from the familiar pose and instead looked back at the fire. 

 

“I understand why you’re so angry. You feel like you’ve been defeated by what gave you purpose in the first place.” Her voice was so lovely. Serene and even. 

 

Loki’s own voice cracked. “How can I live like this?”

 

“How do any of us live? We look to the future, look to the past. Put one foot ahead of the next.” 

 

He looked over at her. She too looked into the fire, hands folded in her lap. “Why aren’t you running? Or trying to kill me?”

 

“What would be the point?” Their eyes met for a brief moment. “You control five Infinity Stones, I have only my own sorcery. I could only succeed in allowing you to kill me.” 

 

“I don’t want to kill you.”

 

“I know.” 

 

“But I will if I have to.”

 

“I know that too.” 

 

Loki snorted a small laugh, then stared into the fire again. “What would Eve say?”

 

The Ancient One tilted her head to the side. “She would say… she would say that hope isn’t lost, it’s only hiding. That no matter how dark things look, the light will come. That you will find yourself again.” 

 

Loki winced. “And what do you say?” 

 

“I would say much the same. Life is a cycle, time loops in on itself over and over again. Life and death intertwined. Power is fleeting, revenge even more so. It’s only in balance that we can achieve harmony.” 

 

Loki sighed. “My balance was killed before my eyes, priestess. My mortal-made-god, who stood by my side for decades, who loved me,  _ understood _ me. I never thought I could be truly understood by anyone, but he did. He knew me inside and out - better than I know myself - and loved me still. Knew me before we’d even met. And he was murdered. Assassinated.” The fire blazed up, then died down to glowing coals. “I went back in time to save him, you know. Changed things just enough that the events that lead to his murder didn’t take place.” 

 

“And what happened?”

 

“It wasn’t him anymore. He looked the same, talked the same, kissed the same, made… made love the same.” Loki’s voice hitched and he wiped his eyes. “But he  _ wasn’t _ the same. It was all a lie. By changing what happened, I created a whole new universe, and he wasn’t  _ mine _ anymore.” He looked over at the woman by his side. “I tried, I did. I tried to fix things. But this is broken beyond repair.  _ I’m _ broken beyond repair. I had nothing left but my vengeance, and now even that is taken from me.” 

 

The Ancient One was silent for a long moment. “Why have you been so fixated on gaining control of all the Stones?” 

 

“To hold all six Infinity Stones is to hold ultimate power. Anything is possible.” 

 

“You followed a path that was written for another.”

 

Loki started. “What do you mean?”

 

Her eyes narrowed. “You know exactly what I mean, Liesmith. You saw the path written for Thanos and took it for yourself. That path was never your destiny, so of course you failed.” 

 

“I…” She was right. He  _ had _ seen the path to the gauntlet with all of its twists and turns, all save the ending. He’d taken that knowledge and skipped the twists, skipped the turns, so obvious from above. It had been so  _ easy _ to take the Stones. Because he had seen everything.

 

But not enough. 

 

“Had you known from the beginning that you could never claim the Soul Stone, if your lover had told you everything he  _ knew _ rather than going by what you  _ watched, _ what would you have done?” 

 

Loki sat back. It had never occurred to him that there could be another way. This path had been so obvious. The lines that had been written for Loki lead only to death, but he didn’t need to follow them. He’d escaped that sacrifice on the altar of fate all on his own, before he even knew it was destined. Before he knew the truth of his reality. 

 

The best way would be to write a whole new script for himself. He was intelligent, brilliant, really. He was the most powerful being in this universe, with all manner of magics at his disposal. Surely there was another way. 

 

Traveling between universes was something that sorcerers did all the time, it was something that he had done himself many times as well, but a World Walker did it as easily as breathing. It wasn’t getting to the Other and the Walker that was the problem, it was  _ finding _ them. But a World Walker would leave a trace on their own universe. A signature, so that they could always get home again. It would be instinctual; he wouldn’t even realize he’d done it. And he knew that the Walker’s universe was virtually identical to the one Loki had lived in for the last fifty years. The Walker’s visage had told him that. 

 

With that knowledge he could find them, the Walker and the Other. A universe close to his lover’s native reality with a World Walker in residence should be possible to spot with what magics he had now. 

 

Loki smiled. He could have his revenge after all. 

 


	8. Chapter 8

The house was beautiful, if tiny in comparison to the palaces that Loki had lived in most his life. The roof was a slanted, asymmetrical plane which reminded him of the cut of his own tunics. Entirely suitable for the men who lived there, a fitting tribute. Loki could see the Other’s hand all over the home. It was warded against intrusion, spells that had been laid out over months, building upon themselves. Strong, yes, but no barrier to the power that Loki had at his disposal. 

 

He could sense the Walker inside, but the Other wasn’t there. Shattering the wards would likely gain his attention, so he’d be back soon enough. Loki drew on the power of the Tesseract and teleported into the dwelling. He felt the spells protecting the home disintegrate around him. 

 

Loki smiled. 

 

The Walker stood in the kitchen making tea. He wore common Midgardian clothing, a blue shirt, jeans, and boots; his hair lit like a golden halo by the afternoon sun shining through the window behind him. Loki’s breath caught and his hands itched to be buried in those curls again. The mortal looked up and frowned at the god in his sitting room. “Loki?” 

 

Loki started. He was invisible, the Walker shouldn’t be able to sense him, let alone see him. He dropped the cloak of warped light from his shoulders and appeared before the Walker. 

 

The other man’s beautiful eyes - sky blue in this light - went wide. “Love? Are you alright?” He came closer. Loki found himself frozen, gazing at the Walker’s face, hypnotized as he always had been by their tiny differences. “What’s wrong with your eyes? Why are you crying?” 

 

“I…” Loki was paralysed. He stood immobile as the Walker came up to him, laid his hands on the god’s shoulders and looked into his black, black eyes. Loki shuddered at the contact, the proximity, the intimacy. The two were exactly the same height, of course, their gazes on a level plane. The Walker’s expression was so kind. It had been a long time since he’d seen that look in his consort’s eyes. Compassion. He’d fallen in love with that face, that look, that empathy, that  _ understanding, _ fifty years ago. 

 

The Walker brushed away one of Loki’s tears with his thumb. “What’s wrong? Talk to me, darling. What’s happened?” 

 

How could he not know? How could he not  _ see? _ Loki’s hand moved of its own volition and wrapped around the Walker’s throat, and he saw fear replace compassion on actor’s face.

 

The other man’s hands gripped at Loki’s wrist, so much weaker than his consort. Without the magic of the Tesseract, he was nothing. “Loki, stop, you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s me!” 

 

The god snarled. “I know exactly who you are.” 

 

“What?”

 

“You think I don’t know? I’ve been looking for you for an age. Your lover killed mine, and you will both pay.” The Aether spread out of Loki’s body, draining his eyes of the black, and the Stone’s red haze surrounded him. “I have done impossible things to find you, and you both shall suffer.” 

 

“Oh god, you’re… you’re King Loki. Please, listen, I’m sorry, he didn’t mean to do it. He didn’t know!” 

 

Loki snarled and tightened his grip. “You think that makes it better? Do you think that your pitiful god’s regrets make my pain any less?” He lifted the Walker up by his throat. “You think that  _ he _ would do any less?” 

 

“No, I wouldn’t.” 

 

Loki spun. The Other stood in the doorway, green fire burning in his hands and eyes. Seidr spun around him, making the other god’s long black hair whip around his head. 

 

“Put him down.” 

 

Loki laughed. How sad this pitiful little god was. No Stones, only the meager magics that nature had provided the tiny Jotun runt over the centuries. The Aether spun out towards the Other, seeking to pull him apart, render him even more impotent. Loki saw the Other’s eyes go wide for a split second, then he smiled. It was so strange to see his own smile on another’s face. Like looking into a mirror, but not the mirror of a man he’d gazed at for fifty years, no. This most faithful mirror held Loki’s own face and fate. 

 

The Other spun the Aether into himself. Pale green eyes went black as the night sky and the Other laughed. Laughed Loki’s darkest laugh. “Foolish god, did you honestly think I couldn’t do something  _ you _ are able to? If you can control the Aether, so can I.” 

 

Loki snarled and threw the World Walker away - not caring how the actor fell - summoned the scepter to his hand and sent a blast towards the Other. He’d expected the Other to dodge, but the other god caught the azure bolt between his hands 

 

The Other grinned. “I wielded the scepter too, remember?” He hurled the bolt back at his head. Loki ducked and the azure missile went hurtling through an open window to explode outside. 

 

Loki snarled and ran for the Other. Suddenly he was surrounded by clones of the other god. Not illusions, duplicates made solid with the Aether. They closed in on him with daggers drawn. Loki fought them off with the blade of the scepter. He could hear the Other and the Walker shouting to one another in the chaos. 

 

“Run, beloved,” the Other shouted.

 

“I won’t leave you.” 

 

“Please, you must go.” 

 

Loki shuddered at the nearly identical voices, so familiar. Oh Norns, they clearly loved each other so much. As much as he and his consort had loved one another. He slew the last of the duplicates and found himself facing the Other. He pointed the scepter’s blade at the Other’s chest. “I know you have a heart, and soon I shall break it.” 

 

The Other smiled. “I think not.” The Aether erupted from his body again, surrounding them both. The scepter was ripped from his hands by an unseen force and Loki found a blade at his throat. 

 

“You cannot kill me like that.” 

 

“Oh can’t I?” 

 

“No.” He knocked the blade out of the Other’s grip and dove for his throat. The Other’s hands went to Loki's neck, and they were trying to strangle each other. 

 

“Loki, stop!” 

 

Both gods stopped and looked over to the third man. The Walker held the scepter. Azure light glittered in his already blue eyes. 

 

Loki growled. “You have no idea what you’re doing with that, mortal.”

 

The Walker looked at him. “Really? I think I might.” He pointed the scepter at Loki’s face and the Stone’s light brightened, a flare of electric blue in the smoke filled room. Loki’s eyes went wide; no mortal should be able to control the scepter thus, even if he was a World Walker. “Your king wasn’t the only one who’s learned magic. Slipping between universes isn’t my only talent.” 

 

“Beloved, what are you doing?” 

 

The Walker looked to the Other. “Saving you. Again.” He looked back at Loki. “I know you’re in pain. You’ve spent your whole life as an outcast, lied to about everything. I know it hurts. Believe me, I know. I lived that with you, with him,” he nodded towards the Other, “so I know. And then you found happiness. You had something wonderful, something that finally felt right. And it was taken away, and I’m sorry. We took it from you, and I’m so so sorry for that. I never wanted to hurt you. Either of you.” The Walker took a few steps towards the two gods. “But this won’t solve anything, Loki. Killing me, killing him, it won’t make you feel any better.” 

 

Loki snarled, but it was half-hearted. He’d so missed that voice, so missed that face. His own wasn’t the same, no matter how much they resembled one another; his consort’s face was his own, not Loki’s. 

 

But the Walker looked just like him. 

 

Was him. 

 

Loki took a step back, away from the god at his side. The Other was about to lunge forward, to attack again, but the Walker held out a restraining hand, and the other god stopped. 

 

“Why?” Loki was ashamed of how his voice cracked. He looked at the Other. “Why did you kill him?”

 

“You know why,” the other god snapped. “He was going to kill my beloved. You would have done the same. You’ve been trying to  _ do _ the same.” 

 

Loki nodded. “I would have. Anyone who threatened my love deserved to die.” 

 

“He is right though.” The Other nodded to the Walker. “If I had known who he was, I never would have killed your king. I wouldn’t have been able to, had I realized.” The other god’s gaze fell on the Walker and he smiled. 

 

The human smiled in return and Loki choked on his own tears. Dear Norns he’d missed that smile. Sunshine encapsulated in a face, beauty beyond his comprehension. 

 

“There are so many of us out there,” the Walker said as he took another step towards Loki, still looking at the Other. He lowered the scepter, just a little, and turned his gaze back to Loki. His sunshine smile still there, but sad. “So many Loki’s, so many Toms. Only a few of us have found each other. I’m so sorry we took that from you.” 

 

“I… I miss him so much.” Loki covered his face with his hands. “Looking at you  _ hurts. _ Looking at  _ myself _ hurts. I’ve barely looked in the mirror since he died. All I can think about is how he’s gone and I’m all alone again.” 

 

“But you’re not alone.” His voice was so close now. He knew that if he reached out, he would be able to touch the Walker. The mortal was brave; he too had the heart of a king. “There are an infinite number of us out there, Loki. So many that you could spend every moment of your life looking into other universes and you’d never see the end of us. Some of us are you, some of us are me. And for some reason, the multiverse seems to think that we need each other.” 

 

“We do,” the Other said. Funny how the Other’s voice sounded different than either himself or the Walker. It was like listening to a recording of his own voice, but without the memory. “And for what it’s worth, I am sorry as well.”  

 

“You should have killed me instead,” Loki muttered. 

 

“You’re right, I should have, but I didn’t. All I saw was a hand around Tom’s throat, and I struck. I regret the pain I caused you, but I would die to protect him. Killing was easy.”

 

“As would I.” Loki looked up. The Walker… Tom… stood in front of him and the Other Loki stood right behind him, arm wrapped protectively around the mortal’s chest. “I would die, I would kill. I  _ have _ killed. So many. I could rule the universe now, but all I want is to have him back.” 

 

“How many of the Stones did you gather?” the mortal asked. 

 

“Five.” 

 

“Ah. You didn’t get the Soul Stone, did you?” 

 

It wasn’t really a question, but Loki nodded anyway. 

 

“I don’t understand, beloved, how did you know that?” 

 

“I’ll explain later, don’t worry about it.” 

 

The Other Loki nodded, accepting his lover’s assurances. 

 

Loki looked back and forth between the two others. Despite living what seemed to be such a humble life, they were so similar to himself and his consort. Each taking on burdens for the other, a complete level of trust, a fierce protectiveness. How could he destroy that? It would be like taking his own happiness away again. 

 

Loki turned away. 

 

“What about Thanos?” the mortal asked.

 

Loki looked back. “What of him?”

 

“I assume he’s coming after you now that you have most of the Stones. He was going to kill you when you only had one, after all.” 

 

“I’d like to see him try,” Loki snarled. “I’m going to kill him, never fear. I promised the sisters.” 

 

Loki saw his doppelganger’s eyes light. “How are they?”

 

He grinned. “They’re well. Better off for my changes.” 

 

“Better? How so?” the Other Loki asked.

 

“You haven’t seen? You’ve never watched the films?” 

 

“No, he hasn’t,” Tom interrupted. “It’s not a good idea.” 

 

Loki raised an eyebrow, but shut his mouth. Perhaps the mortal was right. Perhaps not knowing all of the truth was best. “You may be correct.” He would never have gone on this journey if he hadn’t seen the films which so eerily portrayed his own universe in accurate - if edited - detail.  

 

“What now?” the mortal asked. 

 

Loki hung his head. He couldn’t kill them. It would be like killing his own consort. And Gamora and Nebula were counting on him.  “I shall return and fulfill the promise I made to the sisters. I’ll leave you two in peace.” 

 

He sensed that the Other Loki was still warry, the god’s eyes remained narrow as he glared at Loki over his lover’s shoulder. 

 

But Tom smiled; the mortal believed him. “Good luck.” 

 

“May I have the Aether and the scepter back? I shall need them to defeat the Titan.” Loki held out an empty hand. 

 

The mortal handed the scepter back with no hesitation. “We don’t need them anyway.” He glanced over his shoulder at the Other Loki. “Love, give it back.” 

 

The other god sighed. “Oh very well.” He glared at Loki. “You’d best kill the Titan.” The Aether spun out of him and slipped through the air to regain its home inside of Loki’s form. 

 

“Don’t worry, I shall.” Loki grinned, his now-black eyes fierce. “It will be a pleasure to slaughter something that truly deserves it.” 

 

Tom laughed. “We’ll turn you into an anti-hero yet.” 

 

“Norns forefend.” Loki bowed to the other two. “I shall leave you now.” 

 

They both nodded, simultaneous and identical. Loki swallowed down the pain of seeing that phenomena again. He and his consort did that too. 

 

“Goodbye.” 

 

“Farewell. Kill the Titan and kill him well.” 

 

Loki stepped away.

 

“Oh, and Loki?”

 

The god looked at the mortal, eyebrow raised.

 

“Aim for the head.” 

 

Loki smiled and teleported away. He had a Titan to kill. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the words of our patron god, "Surprise!" 
> 
> Please feel free to yell at me/ask for clarification in the comments.


End file.
